A FRIENDLY WAGER

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee announced Friday that they are betting a day of service on Sunday's Super Bowl between the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers. The mayor representing the winning city will host the losing city's mayor for a day of volunteerism organized through AmeriCorps.

In that same spirit, the Rev. Stan De Boe, a Ravens season ticket holder and Tedrick Valentine, a die-hard 49ers fan who is attending the game, made a similar friendly wager.

If the Ravens win, Valentine will volunteer for a day at Our Lady of Sorrows, and if the 49ers come out on top, De Boe will give his time volunteering at Mitchell Guidance Center, where Valentine is assistant principal. The loser will have to wear the winning team's jersey or cap during the volunteer time.

Stan De Boe and Tedrick Valentine agree to disagree.

The Rev. Stan De Boe, pastor at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church and a longtime resident of Baltimore, is absolutely certain his Ravens are going to win Super Bowl XLVII.

Valentine, the assistant principal at Mitchell Guidance Center and a die-hard San Francisco 49ers fan, has no doubt his team will come out victorious in New Orleans on Sunday.

Someone is going to be wrong.

Ravens rooter

De Boe is a Ravens season ticket holder but didn’t make it in person to any games this season. He was in Baltimore last weekend for the send-off rally as the team headed to New Orleans.

De Boe wears purple on Fridays during the season to emulate Purple Fridays in Baltimore.

“I told the staff at the church they could wear purple this Friday, and they all kind of just looked at me,” he said.

De Boe will watch the game Sunday at the church’s Trinity Hall and has invited his parishioners to join him.

"There will be snacks and some little giveaways that I picked up when I was at the Ravens rally in Baltimore on Monday - hats, buttons, decals, things like that.

"My dogs are each sporting their team shirts - Betty for the Ravens and Chuy for the 49ers."

Of course, De Boe sometimes has a conflict because of church obligations.

"The last three games started at a time that I missed the whole first half," he said. "Even this Sunday, I have a 5:30 p.m. Mass."

49ers fan

Valentine will be a little closer to the action.

He is headed to the game courtesy of his wife, Angela, who bought the ticket for him after the 49ers clinched a berth in the big game.

"She told me before the game started that if they won, she'd get me a ticket," said Valentine, who will head out Saturday after coaching a youth basketball team at the YMCA.

Valentine has seen the 49ers play twice this season: once in Houston at a preseason game against the Texans and again Dec. 30 in the regular season finale in San Francisco against Arizona.

"It was a birthday present from my wife," Valentine said about the trip to San Francisco. "I got chills just being in the stadium."

To say Valentine is excited about the trip to the Super Bowl is an understatement.

"I haven't been able to contain myself this week," said the 1991 graduate of Stroman High School. "When the team arrived in New Orleans, it was like I was arriving in New Orleans."

Valentine adopted the 49ers in junior high when he played wide receiver and idolized San Francisco Hall of Famer Jerry Rice.

"From that point on, I was a die-hard Niners fan," said Valentine.

The game

"We are going to win the Super Bowl because our team has heart and determination," De Boe said.

But De Boe isn't without his concerns, especially with 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

"He's still kind of a wildcard," De Boe said. "He's only played - what? - nine games. He can be dangerous."

Valentine agrees.

"Kaepernick gives us a better chance to win than Alex Smith did," said Valentine, referring to the change in signal callers made during the season when Smith, the starting quaterback for the 49ers, went out with a concussion. "He can run, and he takes more chances down the field."

It's the San Francisco offense that Valentine thinks will carry his team to victory.

"I'm a little concerned about (Ravens quarterback Joe) Flacco throwing deep against our cornerbacks," he said. "That's been kind of a weakness all year."

"Offensively, with Kaepernick, Frank Gore, LaMichael James and others, we are explosive," he said. "The decisions Kaepernick makes will be the difference."

De Boe said the Harbaugh brothers coaching against each other is a great story line for the game, and he hopes the impending retirement of Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis will give his team an emotional edge.

Valentine said that if the 49ers have to lose to someone, Lewis would be his choice to claim a second Super Bowl ring.

"But I don't want him to get it," Valentine said.

During a photo session, De Boe reminded Valentine that 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh was a Ravens quarterback at one time.

"And you know who Ray Lewis' first career sack was against, don't you?" De Boe asked.

Valentine waved his hand, "I don't want to hear it!"

But Valentine already knew the answer.

That sack came 17 years ago against an Indianapolis Colts quarterback named Jim Harbaugh.